Stories help connect. But if your story isn’t believable to the listener, they’re going to get bored and switch off. And that’s why rags to riches stories are getting a little boring. The problem is we’re getting inundated with them. And when that happens, we either get numb to them, or we switch off, uninterested and unimpressed.
But there’s something significant to remember about your story; it doesn’t have to be a rags to riches one, in order for you to connect and inspire others. There are other options available to you.
Your story doesn’t have to be dramatic – it just needs to be inspiring
Because no matter how you got to where you currently are, the journey is still story-worthy. Some journeys don’t have dramatic changes in them or massive hurdles to overcome. Sometimes, it’s enough to share a story of someone getting off their butt and doing something they wanted to do, to inspire your target audience.
If you’re a heart-based business, in particular, you may not feel that you have any useful stories. You’re drawn to serve and help others, but may not always know why you feel that way. You may even feel that you had to have a rags to riches story of your own, in order to showcase what you can do.
Know why you’re sharing a story with your audience
And that brings me to the most important thing to remember about the stories you’re sharing. They have to help your audience feel something – it’s not about how you feel. You want your stories to provoke an emotional reaction in your ideal potential clients. To do that, you need to know why you’re sharing every story you share. Do you want your story to:
- Inspire
- Delight
- Surprise
- Educate
- Remind
- Encourage
- Entertain
- Trigger
- Anger
- Irritate
your ideal audience? Because they’re all reactions and you need to know which one you’re aiming for, if you want your story to connect and resonate with your people.
Get clear on the potential business stories you can share
That’s why your business will have lots of potential stories you can share. It isn’t just about those dramatic changes or the zero to hero scenarios. It’s about connecting, resonating and really showing that you know, understand and can help, the people in your niche.
So think about all of the different stories you can share with your audience. Think about sharing:
- Wins as well as losses
- Learnings and mistakes
- Your personal and professional life
- Your background and history
- The history of your business
- Where you’re headed
- Why you do what you do
- Your thoughts and opinions
- Your beliefs and values
- How you can help your clients
- What you know about your ideal audience
- Client successes and failures
Just make sure you’re always sharing them in a way that resonates and connects with your ideal audience!
Share your business soul story instead
And that leads us onto your business soul story. It’s critical that you know to share your business soul story with the world. It helps your clients decide if it’s a story that resonates and connects with them – a story they’re interested in finding out more about. (It’s why story is the main focus of the Soul Story Sales® framework I take my clients through!)
Your business soul story is a combination of all of the above story ideas. It isn’t just about the journey you took, to get to where you are – it’s the entire heart of your business. It’s about you and the heart and soul you put into your business. Because that’s what is at the centre of everything you do and what makes you so magnetic to your audience.
So spend a little time, sitting with a notebook and pen, brainstorming the stories in your business. Because it will have some and I’m betting, the more you think about it, the more you’ll come up with! You can then use these in your marketing to help connect with your ideal audience. Because let’s face it – the rags to riches stories are getting a little boring for everyone!
If you don’t know your business soul story, you may be feeling a little stuck right now. And that’s ok. You may need a little help getting clear on your story and bringing it out in your marketing. And if that’s the case, I can help. My new Soul Story Sales® program is designed to help you get clear on your business soul story (and all the other stories in your business!) and understand how to use them to market yourself in an authentic and aligned way. It’s opening soon, so click here to get your name on the waitlist, and be one of the first to hear when it’s open!
